Zeus (mythology)
Zeus is the god of lightning, thunder and storms in Greek mythology he became the king of the Olympian pantheon. Zeus is renowned for being both a scoundrel and a noble warrior king, making him one of the ur-example anti-heroes. Gaea, Uranus, Cronus, and the Titans The story of Zeus starts with the union of his grandparents, Gaea and Uranus, the earth and sky. Gaea bore many children from her union with Uranus, the Titans, giant divine beings of considerable beauty. Gaea also gave birth to the more monstrous one-hundred armed giants called Heka-Gigases and the one eyed giants called Cyclopsi. Though Gaea loved all her children Uranus was ashamed of the more monstrous of his children feeling they were not worthy to walk upon his beautiful wife and so he placed the Heka-Gigases and Cyclopsi in the nether-pits of Tartarus deep bellow the earth. Gaea was heartbroken and enraged so she carved a scythe of her very bone that would be able to cut Uranus himself, she offered it to whichever one of her children was willing to face their father and until he agreed to free the Heka-Gigases and Cyclopsi. The youngest of the Titans, Cronus, Titan of time, agreed to take up arms against his father. Cronus fought Uranus however he made no threats or demands and instead completely deposed his father, castrated him, forced him to surrender his power, and banished him. Cronus never freed his sibling from Tartarus either and so he earned the spite of Gaea, but under his rule the Titans became the first gods of mankind. Though Cronus dethroned and castrated his father, before Uranus departed, he said one of Cronus's own children would surely do the same to him. Later the Titan of foresight, Prometheus, prophesied that indeed one of Cronus's own children would depose him. Cronus became fearful of his rule and when his wife/sister Rhea gave birth to their first child, Hestia, Cronus ate her rather than risk her growing up to depose him. Rhea would become pregnant and give birth five more times, Poseidon, Hades, Demeter, and Hera all met the same fate as Hestia. On Rhea's sixth and final pregnancy she could no longer bear to see her child killed and knew she would not be able to implore Cronus' mercy, so she made arrangements to have her son Zeus spared. Rhea warped rocks in swaddling cloths and let Cronus eat it thinking it was baby Zeus. Rhea had spirited Zeus off to be raised by her mother Gaea, the earth, Uranus' widow. Of course, Gaea was upset about Cronus dethroning her husband and banishing him and without keeping his word to free his siblings, so she was more than happy to support the young god prophesied to dethrone Cronus. Gaea raised and protected Zeus on a small island of Crete, she kept him hidden from Cronus in thick mists that surrounded the island and had nymph artisans working on it all day and night so the clanging of the shields by the Curetes would drown out young Zeus whenever he cried. Zeus was also cared for by the Curetes with the milk of the goat Amalthea and the bees in the cave. Gaea told Zeus of what his father had done to her husband, children, and his siblings grooming Zeus to one day take his revenge on Cronus. Gaea made Zeus swear that once he freed his siblings he would also free her children still sealed in Tartarus. The Titanomachy When Zeus came of age he set out to confront Cronus, before Zeus returned home he met Metis, Titaness of prudence. Zeus fell in love with Metis and they became lovers and before long Metis was conspiring with him to overthrow Cronus. Metis gave Zeus poison and gave it to Cronus, while Cronus was reeling from the effects of Metis' poison Zeus arrived and fought Cronus. By some accounts Zeus carved open Cronus' stomach and freed his siblings, while other accounts say that the poison induced vomiting and during the confrontation with Zeus Cronus vomited up all five of Zeus's siblings, either way Zeus's siblings were all freed from their father's stomach and joined him in the fight. Cronus saw he was outmatched and called for the the Titans to protect him and attack the gods, thus began the "Titanomachy" or Titan God War. Some of the Titans joined Zeus and the gods like Prometheus, who foresaw Zeus would win and wanted to be on the winning team, he also convinced his brother Epimethius, Titan of antiquity to join Zeus. Zeus and his siblings also garnered the attention of Hecate, Titaness of witchcraft who joined the gods having grown tired of Cronus' tyranny. While the other gods were still fighting the Titans Zeus freed the Heka-Gigases and Cyclopsi who eagerly joined the fight against Cronus. Eventually the Gods won over the Titans, Zeus imprisoned most of the defeated Titans in Tartarus, except for the Titan of strength Atlas, who Zeus punished by turning his strength against him by forcing him to hold up the sky. Of course Zeus did not punish the Titans who had joined his side, leaving Prometheus Epimethius, Hecate, Rhea, Metis and the monstrous titans. Zeus assumed the new throne as king of the heavens and the new guardian of mortal-kind. Zeus set up a great palace on top of Mont Olympus he made Metis his first wife and ruled the world from mountain tops. Rule of the Gods In this new age man-kind would become the dominant mortal life form by being given the gift of intellect but they would also be given sin and discord. Zeus first split up the rule over the world with his brothers, his oldest brother Poseidon, god of the Sea was given the vast oceans to rule once he rested control of them from Gaea's second husband Nereus. Hades, god of wealth was given the Underworld to rule where he could keep an eye on the deepest gates of Tartarus seeing to it they were never opened and establishing a kingdom of the departed souls. Zeus himself created his palace on Mount Olympus and established eleven other positions for other gods as his vassals, Zeus and his eleven brethren were refereed to as the Twelve Olympians commonly. The Twelve Olympians shared in the powers of the Titans that Zeus had inherited and each among them was given a formal throne in the meeting halls of Olympus. Not all Greek gods could claim to be one of the Twelve Olympians but the ones that did were considered the most important. Some gods such as Pan coveted the position of being one of the twelve, others like Hades openly refused to accept the title, considering the power not worth being subject to Zeus' authority. Zeus himself was firmly in control of the Twelve Olympians and could retract their empowered abilities at a moment's notice if they turned on him, this however still made his five siblings a substantial threat since all had claimed power from the titan' personally. Children Zeus feared he would be deposed by his first child just as his father and grandfather had so shortly after she became pregnant Zeus would divorce Metis and began to court his sister Hera. Hera would become Zeus' queen despite being his second wife however Metis was made Zeus' personal adviser. Though Metis and Zeus had an easy divorce Prometheus warned Zeus that the child would be greater than him. Zeus was afraid of his child but did not wish to harm Metis partly because of their history and partly because he depended on her as his adviser but Zeus eventually found a way to neutralize Metis without sending her to Tartarus. After much thought one day Zeus challenged Metis to a game they played where each god would try to turn into a smaller animal than the other, Metis won the game by eventually turning into a may-fly, Zeus congratulated her and then swallowed her whole. Metis flew into Zeus' head and was absorbed into his brain thus Zeus always had Metis's sound advice and as part of him he never had worry about the child being born...or so he thought. One day Zeus was plagued by terrible headaches. Though he tried to ignore it at first the headaches eventually became so bad he doubled over in pain. His by then son Hephaestus cracked open Zeus' head to release the pressure and out emerged a fully grown and clothed goddess, Metis' daughter, Athena who had grown in Zeus' head even as her mother was becoming part of his brain. Athena had been clothed by Metis and brought up in Zeus' subconscious but eventually grew too big to be contained within. To Zeus' surprise Athena pledged her loyalty to her father rather than challenging him, for this Athena became Zeus' favorite child. In time Athena was praised even more than Zeus and became a major goddess through-out Greece despite being a second generation god. In this way Prometheus' prediction came true for though greater than Zeus, Athena maintained loyalty to her father and in this way the cycle of ascension among the gods came to a conclusion. By the time Athena was born Zeus had already had two sons and a daughter via his union with Hera. The first was Hephaestus, the god of smithing the second was Ares, god of war. Ares was well liked by his mother originally, Hephaestus was born considerably ugly to the point where he frightened Hera when she went to hold him and tossed him from Olympus to earth. The fall crippled Hephaestus from a young age. Hephaestus spent his years trying to win his mother's affections and became a smith crafting her perfect jewelry. By extension this also meant Zeus would be given similar gifts. Once an adult Hephaestus began supervising the Elder Cyclopi who made Zeus's lightning bolts. For his devotion Zeus gave Hephaestus one of the twelve thrones of Olympus. Ares had also won himself a throne, partially because Hera had insisted that one of their only legitimate children be among the twelve Olympians but also because Ares had enthusiastically stirred-up and resolved several wars in the name of his parents. Zeus and Hera's daughter was Eileithyia, goddess of mid wives. Eileithyia was less worshiped than her siblings and so Hera made her a totem in her temples thus Eileithyia was worshiped by association with Hera. Though Eileithyia was not prominent enough to earn herself a spot as one of the twelve Olympians she became known through-out Greece due to her mother's influence. Zeus would adopt the goddess Aphrodite as his daughter. Aphrodite's birth has two conflicting origins' one states that when Cronus took over he castrated Uranus and threw his manhood into the sea- this would result in Aphrodite manifesting from it's remains. Another myth states that Aphrodite was the unclaimed daughter of Nerius, the sea god. Either way Aphrodite first came to the world from the sea, walking out of it completely naked. She was full grown by the time she emerged from the ocean and Zeus was king by then. Zeus spotted Aphrodite and not wishing for their to be any ambiguity over her lineage decided to welcome her into the family. Aphrodite was the goddess of beauty and often associated as goddess of love and sex as well. Zeus would also give birth to the goddess Persephone with Demeter. As the myth goes Poseidon demanded he be permitted to court Hestia as Zeus had done to Hera, Zeus conceded and began pairing his remaining siblings Hades and Demeter, though the two seemed not to like each-other. When Poseidon returned saying Hestia wished to remain a virgin Zeus sided with Hestia that her virginity was hers to keep, Poseidon, still very upset then switched his interests to Demeter and demanded her hand instead. Zeus agreed but to get back at his entitled brother Zeus decided to get Demeter pregnant while he was still trying to woo her. Demeter, being far more open with sex than she was with marriage, had no issues sleeping with Zeus though Poseidon was wooing her and Zeus was already married. Poseidon's interest in Demeter waned long before he found out she was pregnant but Demeter was more than happy to raise the child as a single mother. Zeus had pledged Persephone's hand to Hades to make-up for humoring Poseidon by giving away Hades' intended fiance'. Though Demeter raised Persephone herself Zeus still checked in on and looked after his daughter. Zeus would take on the titaness, Leto, as lover, however Hera was no longer willing to humor such activities. Metis was married to Zeus before her; Demeter was never sexually restrained by concepts like marriage, had taken favors from Zeus covertly and did not associate sex with love; But with Leto Hera saw a disturbing pattern and chased Zeus for his perspicuity. According to early stories by the time Hera found out Leto and Zeus were an item Leto was pregnant. Zeus fled his wife's wrath and before leaving to chase him Hera cursed Leto not to be able to give birth on Olympus or in any earthly society. Zeus spent months fleeing Hera, changing shape by assuming the forms of storms, the elements, animals and even humans in his attempts to lose her. During this time, Leto became more and more pregnant but was not able to give birth. Zeus raised an island from the sea and sent Eileithyia to meet Leto there to help her give birth. Since the land was newly formed technically it was not part of any mortal realm and thus Hera's decree did not need to apply. Eileithyia, wishing to release Leto's pain used the loop-hole her father had created and helped Leto give birth to the twins Apollo and Artemis. Once Hera gave-up the chase Leto bought Apollo and Artemis to meet their father. Hera refused to permit Leto to take a seat on Olympus, but Zeus said instead he would allow her children too take their thrones there. Though Hera remained bitter about Leto, both Apollo and Artemis were very protective of their mother and Hera ended up needing to hold her tongue in the halls of Olympus to maintain harmony. Zeus was said to be very loving toward Apollo and Artemis and gave them both bows and taught them to hunt from a young age to be great monster slayers like him. Powers and Abilties Zeus is an Elder God "Deity" is the most powerful of his siblings, and his own children. Also as king of the Gods within his Pantheon he holds great power. Atmokinesis: Zeus was the God of the Skies, he has omnipotent control over the weather and storms. Aerokinesis: Zeus was the god of Air. As the god of the sky, Zeus has absolute control over air. can manipulate and control or create wind and air, such as air waves, air currents, air structures, air pressure, clouds, tornadoes, storms, and altogether air bending. Other abilities include, being able to see and use air magic and the ability to influence and control the minds of air/wind spirits. ◾He can manipulate clouds and any other air structures. In Percy Jackson's Greek Gods, Zeus even made a living replica of Hera out of a cloud, which King Ixion later seduced. ◾He can generate wind. ◾He can generate incredibly powerful hurricanes and tornadoes. ◾Zeus opened his mouth, and sucked Metis in with a mini-tornado. ◾He can manipulate air currents and fly Electrokinesis/ Thunderbolts: Thunderbolts were Zeus's weapons and that was one of the main reasons he was so powerful.As the god of Thunder and Lightning, Zeus has absolute control over both static and celestial electricity. ◾He is immune to lightning. ◾He can generate tremendous bolts of lightning. ◾He can send static shock through the bodies of others on contact. Gamakinesis: Zeus was the god who controlled life-force in mortal organisms. He gained that control from Phanes, the Protagenos of Life-force. Massive Strength: Zeus was stronger than all the lesser gods combined. Only Poseidon and Hades rivalled him.Zeus has incredible physical prowess, he is mentioned being able to hurl entire mountains at his enemies. Most notably, Zeus was able to crush and imprison Typhon himself by hurling Mount Etna on top of him. Also, when Hephaestus angered him, Zeus easily overpowered him, and flung him all the way from Mount Olympus to Lemnos Shapeshifting: Many women were seduced by Zeus using shapeshifting. Zeus has frequently transformed himself in order to seduce those that he would fall in love with. Zeus has transformed himself into a bull (to woo Europa), an eagle (to woo Ganymede), a swan (to woo Leda), a cuckoo (to woo Hera), an ant (to woo Eurymedousa), a serpent (to woo Demeter), Artemis (to woo Callisto), and even a shower of gold (to woo Danae). Zeus could also transform into a "Titanic" version of himself, while he was posing as Kronos' royal cup bearer. The Master Bolt: When Zeus freed the Cyclopes, they forged him the Master Bolt, which along with Poseidon's Trident and Hades's Helmet, was one of the greatest weapons in existence. The Master Bolt was the original and the most powerful thunderbolt. It could create more thunderbolts and electricity; shake the earth; boil the oceans; dry freshwater bodies and wipe out entire human and animal populations. When hurled, it could split into several lightning bolts, creating a thunderstorm. The Master Bolt was powerful enough to hurl Kronos from his throne, shear the summit of Etna and raze entire cities to oblivion. His most powerful weapon, the Master Bolt, is incredibly powerful, easily making a hydrogen bomb look like a firecracker in comparison. When Zeus throws it at Typhon, the blast "lights up the world", and mortals can feel the shock-wave hundreds of miles away. Zeus used his Master Bolt to raze the entire city of Salmonia to oblivion after Salmoneus pretended to be Zeus. Justice: As the god of justice and honor, Zeus maintains control over the other Olympian gods by preventing their feuds from entering huge proportions and ensures the overall order of the world by handing down and enforcing justice. Gods that submitted to being under Zeus' authority were associated with him and thus with mortal worshipers, thus Zeus needed to be accepted as the final word on divine laws if a god wanted a majority of mortal worshipers. A good example is when Zeus assembles the first ever Olympian trial for the murder of Poseidon's son Halirrhothius by Ares, with Zeus himself as the Chief Justice. As a result, Ares is justly acquitted. (Hades, Hecate and Rhea are some of the only deities not subject Zeus's authority and thus Zeus could not subvert/reign-in Death, mortal-spells or worship of one of the last Titans.) Aegis: Zeus's shield and breastplate set. It was created from the impregnable skin of the divine goat Amaltheia, who had nursed Zeus since birth. Athena covered it in bronze and set the image of Medusa. The face terrified Zeus's enemies and when Zeus shook the shield, it created thunderstorms. The Aegis was so tough, it was the only defense against Zeus's Master Bolt. Power over the Lesser Gods: '''Zeus holds power over his children and his siblings children, and a small degree over his own siblings able to bend them to his will. '''Semi-Omniscience: Zeus could see the world below him but not in a complete detail. It was like "seeing the forest but not the Trees in particular". Titan Abilities: After defeating the Titans, Zeus gained their powers. Zeus could control Day and Night, summon the Sun and Moon, command Influential Power and control the effects of time. Personality Zeus is seen as brave, easy going and charismatic but also perverted and egocentric. Though Zeus's machismo and womanizing were admirable traits in ancient days in modern times Zeus is seen as just plain perverted because of the evolution of morality over the years. Because of the change in acceptable social moires Zeus has changed from the embodiment of heroic to an infamous anti-hero. Zeus got into many fights with his siblings who were the only gods considered on par with him and thus not completely subject to his authority. Poseidon in particular would get into many squabbles over power with Zeus. Zeus would cheat on his second wife Hera many times and most of the affairs were not continual and Zeus frequently assumed the form of other men to have his way with attractive women, and on one occasion a man. Regardless of character flaws Zeus is consider one of the most iconic gods of the ancient world and a hero of primordial man well into the golden age of history. Trivia *Zeus is known as Jupiter in Roman mythology. *Though Zeus is apparently bi-sexual he has only ever been said to have an affair with one man, Ganymede. *Zeus had few to no sexual hang-ups, the only ones were pedophilia and forceful virginal rape. *One of Zeus' lesser evoked titles was "God hospitality", and he treated guests to Olympus (god and mortal) like kings and encouraged mortals to do the same to guests to their homes, by the same token guests were held to a high code of conduct. 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